CSB graduate earns Minnesota Superintendent of the Year

October 16, 2013

Kate Maguire '82

Kate (Lenci) Maguire, superintendent of Osseo Area School District 279 and a 1982 graduate of the College of Saint Benedict, has been named the 2014 Minnesota Superintendent of the Year by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA).

Maguire received a bachelor's degree in social science with a minor in secondary education from CSB. She was a student teacher at Apollo High School in St. Cloud, Minn., in 1982, and received master's and doctoral degrees in education from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul.

Maguire was named superintendent of Osseo Area Schools in 2010. She had served in a variety of roles in the school district prior to being named superintendent, including teacher, principal, director of human resources, director of curriculum and assistant superintendent.

She was the fourth woman to be named Minnesota Superintendent of the Year since 1988, joining Carol Johnson (2002, Minneapolis schools), Kay Worner (2004, Sartell-St. Stephen schools) and Patty Phillips (2010, North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale schools).

"I'm humbled to follow the path of the three women who have been selected since 1988 as Minnesota Superintendent of the Year. Only 15 percent of Minnesota superintendents are women, and I want to encourage other women to pursue the chief executive role in public education systems," said Maguire in a release.

Nominees for the state award are evaluated in four areas: leadership in learning, communication skills, professionalism and community involvement.

"Dr. Maguire is a consummate professional. She is a student-centered educator who truly cares about the development of every learner in the Osseo Area Schools," said MASA Executive Director Gary Amoroso.

As the Minnesota honoree, Maguire is a candidate among other state winners for National Superintendent of the Year, to be announced during the American Association of School Administrators convention in February 2014.

Independent School District 279 is the fifth-largest school system in Minnesota and serves all or parts of Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Corcoran, Dayton, Maple Grove, Osseo, Plymouth and Rogers. It includes 17 elementary schools, four junior highs, three senior highs, an area learning center, two early childhood centers and an adult education center.